1. Field of Invented Subject Matter
The invented subject matter relates to the transportation of bulk products, such as dry granular solids and the like. As but one example, the invented subject matter relates to container liners having support straps.
2. Description of Related Art
Container liners are commonly used for the transportation of bulk products in shipping containers, which are generally standard size maritime sea containers. These liners are typically designed as flexible rectangular housings so that they can be filled to maximize the surrounding rectangular shipping container space. Another type of liner also used in shipping containers is known as a “bulkhead” or “safety sheet.” Such liner, which generally only includes two side wall portions, a floor, and an end face, corresponding to the shipping container door, is used to line the respective container areas prior to filling it with a product. In addition, each of these liners is generally provided with filling ports and discharge ports to assist the loading and unloading of the products.
When filling a flexible container liner with a product, the end face of the liner, corresponding to the door of the shipping container, has a natural tendency to bulge. Bulging causes the liner to protrude outwards from the shipping container. This bulge may obstruct the closing of the door of the container.
Many alternatives have been made to address this problem. For example, steel support bars have been positioned across the end face of the liner inside of the edges of the container door to add structural support to the liner. These steel bars help retain any bulging effect that may occur as the liner is filled with product. Depending on the flow and weight of the product, four to eight steel bars may be required to effectively oppose any bulging. Unfortunately, steel bars have become a major cost component, representing up to 50% of the total cost of the container liner.
Another example includes a container liner that can transport bulk material without the use of steel bars, commonly referred to as “brace-less” or “bar-less” liners. One type of bar-less liners includes a belt tensioning system with belts and ratchets that are attached, to the end face of the liner and anchored to the shipping container. The tensioning system is used to maximize the tension across the end face of the liner to counter against any bulging effects. However, this system involves a prolonged installation time due to the labor intensiveness associated with the proper tensioning of the belts on the end face. In addition, the performance of the tensioning system varies as the anchoring points inside of the shipping containers are not standardized and are often missing or located at different places within the container.
Therefore, there is a need for an effective liner system that can be used to transport numerous types of bulk product. There is also a need for a liner system that can accommodate large bulk product loading systems and facilitate a controlled bulk product discharge. There is a further need for a liner system that can be easily installed without the necessity of complex support systems.